From the village chief, Ah Chen and the others learned that the food festival would begin tomorrow morning, at which time they could indulge in tasting various foods.

It is said that there would also be some food tasting events with rewards, so if they’re interested, they should pay close attention.

The mention of rewards immediately caught everyone’s attention.

The food festival is designed for adventurers like them, so the rewards must be as well. Everyone was curious about what the rewards would be and eagerly anticipated tomorrow’s arrival.

There are no inns or hotels in the village, so Ah Chen and others attending the food festival would need to stay with villagers for the next three days.

As the village chief led them into the village, occasionally a villager would come up to greet them, with curious eyes toward Ah Chen and the others.

"I’ve already arranged the lodging. One villager’s house definitely can’t accommodate all of you, so since you’re in two teams, you’ll each stay at a villager’s house. Right now, there are two villagers with large houses and few people, so they can accommodate both teams," the village chief said. "This way, you won’t have to be too far apart, and the two houses are quite close, just a minute’s walk. You can see each other from the doorstep."

"One house is a building with much better conditions, while the other is a mud house, a bit more primitive, but our villagers are clean, so hygiene won’t be an issue," the village chief said as he stopped and pointed at the two houses not far away. "The mud house on the right is where Granny Li and her granddaughter live, and the building on the left belongs to Qu Zhicheng and his family of three."

"As for which side you can stay on, we’ll decide in a moment. Villagers won’t charge you for food and accommodation, but you need to complete tasks they assign as a form of payment, and then you can stay here for three days." At this point, the village chief’s expression turned serious, "Outside the village is not safe, especially at night. Even the nights in the village aren’t safe. You must complete the tasks well, or if you have nowhere to stay, who knows what you’ll encounter outside. Previously, outsiders who came for the food festival didn’t heed our advice and insisted on going out, and they never returned. No one knows where they went."

"I suspect they didn’t survive."

The village chief’s serious demeanor indeed gave everyone a jolt.

Fortunately, they weren’t newbie adventurers and quickly calmed down. From his words, they swiftly extracted useful information. Unlike the first challenge, they had to deduce what to do and what to be cautious of on their own; it wasn’t clearly written on cards. If they didn’t listen carefully to the village chief, it would be easy to overlook things.

"Thank you, village chief, we’ll be careful," Shi Lingmeng said.

Her sincere attitude earned her a smile from the village chief, who said approvingly, "It’s good that you’re willing to listen. Some young people are curious about the village nights and insist on going out." After speaking, he shook his head, his eyes full of regret.

When they stood in the middle of the two villagers’ houses, the village chief spoke, "Now let’s decide which household the two teams will stay in. Please send out a representative, and the two representatives will compete."

Shi Lingmeng stepped forward from her side.

From Ah Chen’s side, several people exchanged glances, and Wei Yao suggested, "Sister Qin’s luck is always quite good, why not let her go?"

Qin Lin didn’t deny it; she knew her luck was indeed good.

Ah Chen had no objections; it didn’t matter much to him which villager’s house they stayed in for the three days. However, since the village chief proposed this, they couldn’t refuse.

Thus, it was decided.

The village chief smiled slightly, "The two young people are ready. Next, you’ll need to quickly guess five riddles. Whoever guesses more correctly can first choose the accommodation. All the riddles are food-related."

Everyone was a bit stunned, thinking it would be a draw, but now they had to guess?

Wei Yao felt embarrassed; he wondered if Sister Qin could handle food riddles.

A lady like Sister Qin probably didn’t cook much herself, right? But she probably knew the basic foods. However, included in riddles, they might not be so straightforward to guess.

"Red-billed green parrot."[1] the village chief spoke.

Shi Lingmeng immediately answered, "Spinach."

Qin Lin pondered for a moment, but before she could speak, Shi Lingmeng answered, leaving her a bit regretful. She wasn’t really familiar with these, it seemed Shi Lingmeng was quite adept.

Shi Lingmeng nodded gently, "I had an advantage this round; I’m quite familiar with food-related things."

Qin Lin smiled, not minding the outcome, only feeling a bit regretful they couldn’t choose the better accommodations first, perhaps letting her teammates down.

Looking over to Ah Chen’s side, neither Ah Chen, Wei Wenlan, nor Bai Xingwen seemed to mind much. This eased her a little. Though not always on friendly terms, these people were generally good and wouldn’t cause trouble on purpose.

"A small umbrella, falls among the thickets, once opened, hard to close again."[2]

This time Qin Lin reacted quickly, "Mushroom!"

That was obvious! Missing this one would have been embarrassing.

She smiled at Shi Lingmeng, who didn’t mind. Whoever snatched the choice of accommodation earned it through their efforts.

Wei Yao happily pumped his fist, "Go, Sister Qin!"

Huo Jingchen also wore a smile, his entire attention on Qin Lin, nothing else mattered.

The village chief continued with the third riddle, "A chubby white baby lies in the mud, with a thin waist and many hearts."[3]

"Lotus root," Shi Lingmeng answered.

Qin Lin felt a bit regretful; she was too slow to respond, clearly missing the opportunity; she was indeed unfamiliar with these.

The village chief: "Not scallion or garlic, wrapped in layers of purple satin."[4]

Shi Lingmeng: "Onion."

Qin Lin thought: That was way too fast.

Out of a total of five riddles, Shi Lingmeng had already answered three. She had won.

These riddles were quite simple, clearly not intended to stump them. That’s probably why they allowed both sides to compete in quick responses.

The village chief smiled broadly at Shi Lingmeng, "You’ve won, you can choose your residence first."

Shi Lingmeng didn’t directly choose but instead returned to discuss with her teammates.

Even though they weren’t familiar with each other before, and had formed a temporary team for this challenge, it’s better to maintain harmony before any unavoidable conflicts arise.

Given the choice of a better place to stay, of course, everyone preferred not to choose the lesser one. They chose the small building belonging to Qu Zhicheng’s family of three.

The village chief first led the group to Qu Zhicheng’s side. When they reached the small building’s exterior, he knocked on the door.

The door was ajar, not shut completely. He had no intention of entering, waiting for those inside to come out.

"Coming! Who is it?" came a woman’s middle-aged voice, soon revealing herself at the door to everyone.

Through the village chief’s introduction, everyone learned her name was Sun Fengying, Qu Zhicheng’s wife, the mistress of this building.